June 28, 2019– When it comes to playing rock & roll, THE JACKS simply don’t have a choice. “It’s what we listen to, it’s what we play,” bassist Scott Stone says, “and when you stick four guys like us in a garage with instruments, it’s just the kind of music we are going to make.”
Their special blend of the British invasion sound of the ‘60s and ‘70s mixed with southern rock influences can be heard loud and clear on their self-titled debut EP, which is out today on EDGEOUT Records/UMe on all digital retail outlets. The official video for the first single, “Walk Away,” recently premiered on Billboard.com and is streaming now on the band’s official YouTube page.
From the hard-edged rockers to the more melodic numbers, you can hear how the band members have poured their hearts into each of the songs. “We’re trying to push the boundaries of the rock & roll genre by incorporating modern elements, but still keeping the core structure of a four-piece band,” singer/guitarist Jonny Stanback says. “We are creating a sound you’ve never heard before, but feels familiar.”
To celebrate today’s release, THE JACKS will perform at a secret show in Hollywood, CA tonight for a lucky group of invited guests. They’re also set to headline a show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, July 26. More U.S. tour dates for THE JACKS are currently in the works and will be announced soon.
Before that show, THE JACKS are also set to perform as part of a very special event with Ringo Starr for his annual Peace & Love Birthday event at Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles on July 7, where he will join fans gathered for a #peaceandlove celebration. The dream is to create a wave of Peace & Love across the planet, starting in New Zealand and ending in Hawaii.
After “Walk Away” first launched on May 17, the band has been keeping very busy. That same afternoon, they performed in front of thousands of new fans at the first-ever Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival, and they’ve been teaming up with the NHL for a commercial that aired throughout the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which can be seen on the NHL’s official Instagram page here. They were also tapped to perform as the on-stage band at the 2019 NHL Awards which was held on June 19 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
To blend and bring their British invasion sound of the ‘60s and ‘70s mixed with southern rock influences to the modern music era, THE JACKS–Jonny Stanback (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Tom Hunter (lead guitar, vocals), Scott Stone (bass guitar, vocals), Josh Roossin (drums/percussion)–joined forces with legendary producer Matt Wallace (Faith No More, Maroon 5, Blackberry Smoke) and mixer Andrew Scheps (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele, Hozier) at Los Angeles’ famed Sunset Sound Recorders.
“Working with Matt Wallace was an incredible experience. He was able to take our vision for our songs and record them exactly how we’ve imagined for the past few years,” adds THE JACKS. “And it was a true honor to work with the legendary Andrew Scheps. We couldn’t be happier with his influence on the upcoming EP. We now have an amazing team with EDGEOUT and UMe, and are so excited for the world to hear our music.”
As Wallace remarks, “THE JACKS deliver up lean, rugged rock & roll with songs that feel like instant classics that make you want to move, with earworm hooks and melodies that will have you kinda upset when you find yourself unintentionally and inappropriately humming their songs at work, in church, in court, or at wakes. If the Strokes, Cage the Elephant, and the Stones had an equally talented, but more handsome baby, it would be named THE JACKS!”
The mix of songs on the EP is fitting since THE JACKS got their name from a fan telling them that they were “jacks of all trades” when it came to playing different styles and blending their songs with those of their idols at their early concerts, and each of these tracks shows off a different side of the ensemble.
Since the quartet has been able to test-drive their songs on the road, they zeroed in on five that exemplify THE JACKS experience for the EP. “Walk Away” has a big, catchy chorus and lyrics about feeling stuck and trying to move on. “That song is about a very frustrating relationship, where you keep falling into the same routine even though you know you should just get out of it,” Stone says. “It’s time to get out of it, but you keep going back to the same thing over and over and you’re frustrating that you keep doing that to yourself.”
“There isn’t an end goal for us, we just want to continue to write the music we love, share it with as many people as possible, and hopefully be remembered for it,” guitarist Tom Hunter says. “We hope that we can one day inspire other musicians to do the same. Oh … and we want to sell out Wembley.”